Beverages and Bottled Water

Beverages and Packaged Ice Certification

Overview

Benefits of Certification

Why Work With NSF?

Certification Process

NSF International has provided product certification services for over 30 years to bottlers in over 150 countries.

Our Bottled Water and Beverage Certification Program was founded on globally-accepted requirements and industry best practices to provide bottlers with the world’s best auditing and product testing services. It is the only accredited product certification program for bottled water and beverages, and the only product certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI-Accredited Product Certification Body - Accreditation #0216) and the Brazilian Instituto Nacional de Metrologia (INMETRO).

NSF certification demonstrates that the bottler follows regulatory requirements and industry best practices for bottled water production and that the product complies with the regulatory standard of quality.

Permits use of the NSF mark on the product label, on your website and in the media

Assures retailers that the product they are selling meets all regulatory requirements and conforms to best practices for bottled water and beverages production

Demonstrates to government agencies that testing and plant inspections have been done to ensure compliance with regulations

Confirms to manufacturers that they have carried out requisite due diligence to ensure the safety of their product

Provides consumers with the assurance of the recognized and trusted NSF mark

NSF Bottled Water Certification Plus – Environmental Stewardship

Environmental stewardship is an add-on certification to the bottled water and beverages certification. It helps bottlers differentiate themselves from the competition and demonstrate their responsibility for the environment and for following sustainable practices. An additional value is improving the knowledge and skills of a company in responsible use of resources, managing risks and protecting the most important resource they have: water.

Benefits of Certification

Our expert team gives you the confidence to know that you are producing a safe, high quality product made to your specifications each time. Testing, auditing and certifications are essential components of a robust compliance program that can help protect your brand by reducing your products’ contamination and recall risks.

Evaluation by an independent, third-party certifier reassures your customers of your commitment to safety and quality while meeting retailer and regulator expectations for proof of independent plant audits.

Following successful certification, your product packaging and advertising can include the NSF mark. Known around the world as a symbol of safety and quality, the NSF mark lends credibility and recognition to products. With NSF certification, your products will gain market exposure through our NSF product listings, the online global resource for retailers, regulators and consumers.

In addition to product certification, we provide tailored combinations of regulatory compliance, consultancy and operational support, and branding and marketing support with the distinctive NSF mark.

From early development to final production and distribution, our expert services help you:

Ensure regulatory compliance

Implement effective quality management systems (QMS)

Assure the highest level of product quality, compliance and safety

Improve your competitive edge in the market place

Gain access to global market approvals

Why Work With NSF?

NSF International has been testing and certifying products to food safety standards since its inception in 1944. We are now one of the most trusted names in food safety due to our stringent standards and high integrity.

We are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI-Accredited Product Certification Body - Accreditation #0216) and Standards Council of Canada (SCC), and our world-class laboratories are accredited to standard ISO/IEC 17025, the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) and the New York State Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP).

We have conducted more than 10,000 audits of bottled water, beverage and packaged ice plants around the world. We are constantly conducting training programs for our auditors to ensure consistency and calibration.

We assign you a dedicated project manager as your single point of contact. Our NSF Online secure web portal lets you gain access to your tests reports and audits 24/7.

With a global network of auditors and laboratories, we have the capabilities to ensure your products are safe and effective.

Certification Process

Application/Contract — We process your application and assign your company a corporate and plant number. We provide all costs, terms and conditions related to certification. We assign a dedicated project manager and a local in-country contact, if needed. You are set up in NSF Online, our secure 24/7 web portal that allows you access to reports and other information.

We provide all documents relating to product certification, including checklists and guidance documents with all the reference standards and requirements related to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and good manufacturing practices.

HACCP and Ingredient Review — We review your HACCP plan to the standards of Codex Alimentarius. Your plan must meet the international standard and that of the certification program. If your product has any ingredients other than trace minerals, a toxicology review needs to verify the safety of any flavorings, sweeteners or other product additives.

Facility Audit — You complete a pre-audit checklist for insight into areas that may need work or improvement before our initial visit. When you are ready, we arrange the audit. Any non-conformances identified during the audit must be fixed and documented through the corrective actions process.

Product Testing — We test each finished product type to be certified to the reference standard you specify (e.g. U.S. FDA, EU, WHO). Any parameter not meeting the standard has to be retested. Our auditors can collect samples at the facility audit or you can ship them directly to our lab. We also test your natural source waters. Any non-conformances identified during testing must be fixed and documented through the corrective actions process.

Label Review — Once any non-conformances related to the facility audit or product testing are resolved, we review your label to ensure it matches the standards of identity.

Listing — When all requirements are satisfactorily completed, your product(s) appear(s) in the NSF online listings and you receive NSF certificates.

Re-Certification — Each year thereafter, we conduct an unannounced audit and test your finished product to ensure maintenance of the standards required for continued use of the NSF mark.